Singtel, NTU, NRF to set up S$42.4m lab to develop robotics, artificial intelligence

Singtel, NTU, NRF to set up S$42.4m lab to develop robotics, artificial intelligence

A S$42.4 million research and development (R&D) laboratory is in the works under a five-year public-private partnership to boost Singapore's development of artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, robotics and smart computing.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Top spot in international supercomputing challenge

NTU students take top spot in international supercomputing challenge



Nanyang Technological University (NTU), represented by a team comprising six undergraduates, bagged the top prize. (From left) Hao Meiru (seated), Shao Yiyang, Chen Hailin, teacher-in-charge Professor Francis Lee, Tang Shuqian, Shi Ziji, and team captain Liu Siyuan.

In the world of supercomputing, some consider taking part in the student cluster competition at the Supercomputing Conference (SCC) 2017 a major achievement.

But in only its second time participating in the competition held in the United States from Nov 13 to 15, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), represented by a team comprising six undergraduates, bagged the top prize.

It beat 15 others from around the world, including top universities like the Georgia Institute of Technology, Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University and China's Tsinghua University.

The team from NTU's School of Computer Science and Engineering had to configure a high performance computing (HPC) system that can understand and process complex scientific applications that were issued to them in mid-August.

For instance, the system may need to run applications that can detect oil and gas in the sea, or analyse a given sequence of DNA, which can take between eight to more than 30 hours to process.

But the team only had 48 hours during the conference in Denver, Colorado to build their system and run the applications.

To challenge them further, all teams were also given a mystery application at the start of the conference that their system had to process as well. The NTU team had to configure a softwareto simulate the Earth's atmosphere.

When the competition started on Nov 13, the teams worked feverishly around the clock to configure HPC systems that would allow four applications to run smoothly and efficiently.

While the HPC systems they built are not supercomputers, which refers to a system that performs at or near the currently highest operational rate for computers, they do draw on the same HPC technology.

The NTU team advisor Associate Professor Francis Lee said the students employed a maverick strategy by packing more computing power into fewer individual computers in the cluster, known as nodes in a HPC system.

While most teams used only eight graphic processing units, the NTU team used twice the number, but packed them densely into just two nodes. This was because the team was able to get access to more graphic processing units, sponsored by technology firm Nvidia Singapore.

"Previously, we didn't have the computing power to match, but this year we packed (two nodes) with 16 of these units and made it really powerful," said Prof Lee from NTU's School of Computer Science and Engineering.

The students also consulted domain experts to better understand the science behind the applications, including the Earth Observatory of Singapore, which made it easier for them to optimise the applications for the HPC system they built.

Among other things, judges appraised them on their presentation skills, and how well they understood and executed the application software.

The National Tsing Hua University and Tsinghua University were placed second and third respectively.

NTU had also entered a team in 2016 for the SCC competition which has been running since 2007. The team was sponsored by the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore (NSCC).

Team captain Liu Siyuan, 21, a fourth-year computer science student, said that the SCC competition tested the the students' skills in many aspects.

"First of all, we had to understand the applications and the maths behind them, and we also needed to have enough coding skills to change the codes of these applications (so that they can run fast on our computing system)."

While the team did not win any prize money, Prof Lee said that their victory has placed Singapore on the map in the growing field of supercomputing.

NSCC deputy director Jon Lau said: "With this achievement, we have shown that Singapore is on track towards building strong HPC competencies among our institutions of higher learning."

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

全球大学就业力排名 南大排名提升至第91

全球大学就业力排名国大微跌至16 南大排名提升至第91



新加坡国立大学在一项全球大学就业力排名中，名列第16。（档案照）

新加坡国立大学在一项全球大学就业力排名中，名列第16，比去年下滑一个名次，是唯一跻身前20名的本地大学。

《泰晤士报高等教育特辑》本月16日发布2017年全球大学就业力排名（Global Employability University Ranking），了解各大学毕业生的受雇能力，排名工作今年步入第七年，共有150所大学入榜。



2017年全球大学就业力排名（Global Employability University Ranking）。

排名由法国人力资源机构Emerging设计，德国市场研究公司Trendence进行。全球约6000名招聘经理参与调查，受访问题包括，他们认为哪些大学培养最具备工作能力的毕业生、所重视的特质等。

国大副校长（学术事务）兼教务长陈永财教授说：“国大很欣慰我们的毕业生能继续获得全球雇主的青睐，这体现国大变革型教育的进展，强调学术水平、体验式学习、培养国际观、同职场需求挂钩等，为毕业生提供良好的就业前景。国大会继续栽培能面向未来的毕业生。”

全球方面，美国大学的整体表现最佳，150所入榜的大学中，美国大学占35所。入榜的前10名以美国学府为主，加州理工学院蝉联榜首，第二名与第三名分别是哈佛大学以及哥伦比亚大学，哥伦比亚大学今年更是跃进九个名次。

亚洲大学方面，日本的东京大学表现最佳，排名第九，其次是香港科技大学和北京大学，分别排名第12和第14。

《泰晤士报高等教育特辑》信息部主编西门贝克（Simon Baker）说，亚洲大学的整体表现都有所进步，它们着重于培养学生新时代所需的技能，包括协作能力，并在学生毕业前就让他们有机会接触业界。

除了国大，另一所入榜的本地大学是南洋理工大学。南大今年排第91，比去年高10个名次。

本地三所大学毕业生 就业率维持在八成以上

根据国大、南大和新加坡管理大学今年2月公布的毕业生就业调查，三所大学毕业生的整体就业率仍“维持在高水平”。去年在毕业后半年内找到工作的大学生比率略微增加，从前年的89.5％增加至89.7％，同时期毕业生全职就业率则只有80.2％，低于前年的83.1％。

～联合早报～

NTU, JTC develop fire-resistant coating product

NTU, JTC develop fire-resistant coating product



(L to R) NTU PhD student Ng Yan Hao; Principal Engineer at JTC’s Civil and Structural Dept Ng Kian Wee; NTU Prof Tan Kang Hai; NTU Asst Prof Aravind Dasari; Director, Tech Services Div of JTC and Co-Director of the I3 Centre, Koh Chwee; and NTU research fellow Indraneel S Zope; holding steel plates coated with FiroShield of different colours. (Photo: NTU Singapore)

A new fire-resistant coating product - which could potentially help building owners and construction companies save millions of dollars in fireproofing efforts - was unveiled at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Tuesday (Oct 31).

NTU scientists and engineers from national industrial developer JTC Corporation spent two years to co-develop a fire-resistant and corrosion-resistant coating that is said to be the first of its kind.



(From left) NTU research fellow Dr Indraneel S Zope; NTU Assistant Professor Aravind Dasari; and NTU PhD student Mr Ng Yan Hao; standing behind the rows of FiroShield-coated steel plates used in their research and development. (Photo: NTU Singapore)

Called FiroShield, it can be applied on virtually anything - from buildings, cars to bicycles.

The announcement of the invention comes two months after 25 buildings have been found to have used external claddings that do not meet fire-safety standards.

FiroShield, which is not considered a substitute for external cladding, can be applied to materials such as steel, timber and concrete.

Application of the coating will take half the required time and cost half the amount compared to conventional ones such as intumescent coatings which provides over 70 per cent of the market demand.

For instance, 5mm of FiroShield coating is sufficient to meet the fire protection standard of two hours – the industry standard – aimed to give the building’s occupants time to evacuate. Comparatively, intumescent coatings require up to 15mm or more.

It is expected to cost US$60 to US$75 (S$82 to S$102) per square metre, compared to intumescent coatings which range from US$100 to US$150.

“This is like a one-stop solution; we take our coating and just directly apply (it) on the steel or concrete structure. We don't need any preparation, we don't need sandblasting (and primer) … This by itself gives us fire resistance as well as corrosion resistance. And it can come in different colours,” said team leader Aravind Dasari, Assistant Professor at NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering.



NTU Assistant Professor Aravind Dasari putting his finger on a piece of plastic that is cool enough to touch, which was placed behind a steel plate coated with FiroShield and exposed to a flame over 900 degrees Celsius. (Photo: NTU Singapore)

It is also long-lasting, and very “eco-friendly” with “toxicity within limits” as it does not contain any halogen-based additives, added Asst Prof Dasari.

Weathering tests in the lab have indicated that its performance dipped by two per cent, compared to a drop of up to 75 per cent for conventional coatings.

FiroShield is slated to be commercially available by the end of 2018, following an industry certification in the United Kingdom, expected to be completed in April of the same year. It will later be used on steel structures within the upcoming JTC Logistics Hub.

JTC expects to save at least S$2.5 million from using Firoshield.

"Beyond next year, if the results proved to be successful, we are going to multiply to other projects. Beyond that, we will work through with BCA and other agencies to see how we can help the industry adopt this new solution," said Mr Koh Chwee, director of JTC's technical services division.

Building on the same technology, Asst Prof Dasari and his team is currently working with JTC to develop another type of coating that is water proof and has a higher corrosive resistance than FiroShield.

Source: Channel News Asia

Happy Deepavali!

Happy Deepavali!

தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!

屠妖节快乐！

QS亚洲大学排行榜 南大居首国大退居第二

QS亚洲大学排行榜 南大居首国大退居第二



QS表示，南大在学术名声、雇主评价、国际教员比率等指标，皆有进步。它在“教员论文平均数量”和“每篇论文平均引用次数”两项指标的优越表现，是它在整体排名上超越国大的一大原因。

南洋理工大学在最新公布的QS亚洲大学排行榜中跃升两级，取代新加坡国立大学成为“亚洲老大”；国大从榜首滑落一个名次，排名第二。

国际教育市场咨询公司Quacquarelli Symonds（简称QS）公布2017／2018年亚洲大学排行榜。

这是南大继今年6月公布的QS全球大学排行榜首次领先国大后，再度超越国大。南大在QS全球大学排名中排第11名；国大名列第15名。

在今年QS亚洲大学排名中，香港科技大学排行第三，比起去年，晋升一个名次。去年排名第六的韩国科学技术学院（Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology，简称KAIST）攀升至第四名。香港大学排名第五，和去年相比，滑落三个名次。去年首次登榜的新加坡管理大学，降11个名次，排名第71。

QS亚洲大学排名的部分评估指标，与它的全球大学排名的指标重叠，但比重略不同。另外，QS亚洲大学排名在评估研究质量方面，使用“教员论文平均数量”（Papers per Faculty）和“每篇论文平均引用次数”（Citations per Paper）这两项指标，更细微地反映研究影响力和生产力；全球大学排名则使用“教员论文平均引用次数”（Citations per Faculty）为指标。

QS受询时说，无论QS亚洲大学或全球大学排名，国大和南大向来竞争激烈。南大在今年的亚洲大学排名中，在学术名声、雇主评价、国际教员比率等指标，皆有进步，但最重要的是，它在“教员论文平均数量”和“每篇论文平均引用次数”两项指标有优越表现，是它在整体排名上超越国大的一大原因。

南大在“每篇论文平均引用次数”指标上获100满分；国大则获86.2分。另一方面，国大在“持有博士学位教员”指标占优势，在100分为满分情况下，获96.7分；南大则获60.2分。

研究主管：前瞻性思维
和吸引国际人才促成佳绩

QS信息研究主管索特（Ben Sowter）表示，今年的排名显示，在许多亚洲国家和地区，既定的大学地位排序正在被颠覆。“这个现象是亚洲学府不断提升竞争力、采取前瞻性思维和吸引国际人才措施所促成的。这样的思维在新加坡尤其明显。”

南大从QS在2009年推出亚洲大学排名时排名第14，到如今攀登榜首，校长安博迪（Bertil Andersson）认为，这对南大是一项强有力的肯定。“作为小国的新加坡，同亚洲其他国家竞争时，坚持走在研究和创新的前沿，我很高兴南大在这方面，对新加坡做出贡献。”安博迪教授也说，在庆贺南大成为亚洲最佳排名的大学的同时，国人也应对新加坡有两所大学在亚洲“引领群雄”感到骄傲。

国大常务副校长（学术事务）兼教务长陈永财教授说：“我们很欣慰国大能继续跻身亚洲及世界顶尖大学的行列……作为国家级大学，我们的长期目标坚定不移，即提升知识掌握、推进研究及其应用，以及为新加坡培育人才。”

QS此次对部分指标进行微调。例如，雇主评价得分比例向来是海外雇主占70％；本土雇主占30％，今年两者评价的比率各占一半。QS表示，近年收到的雇主反馈，更多是评价自己国家或地区的大学的本土雇主，新调整是为了更好地反映他们的评价。

新大国大高管硕士课程
挤入《金融时报》25强

本地两所大学的高层企业主管工商管理硕士课程，在最新的《金融时报》排行榜中挤入25强，整体表现不俗，但不同课程表现参差不齐。

新加坡管理大学李光前商学院的EMBA课程跃升八个名次，排名第24。

新加坡国立大学商学院与美国加州大学洛杉矶分校联办的双学位EMBA课程从第六名，滑落至第22名；国大商学院自家开办的课程略滑落一个名次，排名第18。

另一方面，南洋理工大学南洋商学院的课程，则从去年排名第18名，滑落至第30名。

《金融时报》自2001年起为全球100所提供高层企业主管工商管理硕士（Executive Master in Business Administration，简称EMBA）课程的商学院进行排名。评选指标包括平均年薪、学员工作经验、国际化程度等。

今年是新大第三次入榜，也是首次进入前25名。新大EMBA课程学员毕业三年后所领的平均年薪约33万8725美元（约45万7000新元），比去年提高8％，是本地大学的EMBA课程毕业生当中最高，也是全球第四高。

新大李光前商学院院长乔凯瑞教授（Gerard George）通过文告说，学院今年跻身25强，显示它在亚洲和国际的影响力逐渐扩大。“新大EMBA毕业生的高薪以及国际化背景，是对他们的市场价值的肯定，同时也印证了我们课程的声望。”

最新的《金融时报》EMBA课程排行榜前三名，依次为香港科技大学与美国西北大学凯洛格管理学院（Kellogg School）联办课程、哥伦比亚大学商学院、伦敦商学院和香港大学联办的课程，以及清华大学与英士国际商学院（INSEAD）联办课程。

~联合早报~

Back to school: NTU alumni to receive S$1,600 in course credits

Back to school: NTU alumni to receive S$1,600 in course credits

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) alumni will receive S$1,600 in course credits that they can use for more than 120 courses offered by the university from November.

NTU President Bertil Andersson announced the initiative, which would benefit all 222,000 former NTU students, at the school's annual homecoming event on Saturday (Oct 14). The school also honoured 37 alumni for their achievements at the event.

COURSE CREDITS FOR ALUMNI

NTU alumni will be able to use the credits to take up courses ranging from finance and leadership skills, to graphic design and engineering, NTU said. Topics they can take courses on include data analytics, cloud computing, nanomaterials and immunology.

More than 5,000 places will be offered each academic year and alumni can attend up to two courses per year. Courses can vary in length from a day to a semester spanning 13 to 15 weeks. There are also eight semester-long postgraduate courses for those interested in advanced subjects.

Professor Andersson said: “Any individual is likely in the future to change his or her competence profile to remain employable. NTU’s new initiative will equip our alumni with the latest industry-relevant skills so they can remain globally competitive and advance in their chosen careers.”

Some of these courses will be delivered via the "flipped classroom" pedagogy, where students learn through lessons online before coming to class for problem-based learning. This will reduce the time they need to spend on campus, NTU said.

Interested alumni can apply online on NTU’s PaCE College website.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI RECOGNISED

Media veteran Chang Long Jong and top economist, Professor Ng Yew Kwang, were among 37 alumni awarded the Nanyang Alumni Awards, presented by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli at the event on Saturday.

The two were conferred the Nanyang Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honour for NTU alumni.

Professor Ng Yew Kwang, who is globally renowned in welfare economics, has written and co-authored more than 30 books and published more than 250 articles in leading academic journals.

The Albert Winsemius Chair Professor at NTU’s division of economics said: “I took eight years to complete six years of primary education, repeating twice. I hope that many people know this so that they will not give up on themselves or their children too easily. Even if a person apparently has bad failures, excellence may yet be achieved in the future.”

Mr Chang, a civil engineering graduate, spent the last three decades in Singapore’s media industry. He was Mediacorp’s deputy CEO and oversaw major assets including television, radio, newspaper, magazines and spearheaded its online service, Toggle.

Currently the group CEO of entertainment company MM2 Asia, Mr Chang said: “As engineers, we were all trained to be very process-driven and focused on cause and effect, and actually these are good perspectives and frameworks for thinking about solutions to challenges.

"For example, the process of getting things done in the media industry, end-to-end, from the concept of a production all the way to execution and final production – knowing how to address the efficiency of workflow helps.”

Prof Andersson said: “Their achievements and contributions are an inspiration for everyone, and they reflect the university’s success in preparing graduates for the challenging and rapidly evolving global economy.”

Other recipients of the alumni awards include Dr Hoan Beng Mui Dora, who successfully grew her business into Singapore’s first public-listed direct-selling company; Dr Victor Sim Siang Tze, who developed technology that improves the efficiency of desalination plants; and Dr Nuraliah Norasid, whose debut novel The Gatekeeper clinched various awards including the S$25,000 Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

刺激感官练脑力 南大生为失智病人设计“吃饱没”游戏

刺激感官练脑力 南大生为失智病人设计“吃饱没”游戏



利用铝制铁盒装载各种物品，吴惠恩（右）通过制作粘土模型，与失智症患者交流互动。（叶振忠摄）

长辈总爱把“吃饱没”挂在嘴边，以表达对小辈的关怀。想到食物是联系各年龄层的有效方法，吴惠恩以此作为灵感，设计名为“吃饱没”的互动游戏，以唤起失智症患者回忆。

吴惠恩（24岁）是南洋理工大学产品设计三年级学生。她与男友外婆关系非常亲密，对方在前年患上失智症，令她意识到与失智症患者沟通不容易。

因此，她把年长者熟悉的食物拍成照片再制成磁铁，然后把磁铁、粘土和MP3播放机等，装在传统的三层铝制铁盒（tingkat），让义工选择与患者进行各种游戏，包括制作粘土模型。

游戏照片唤起回忆打开话匣

吴惠恩说：“一名患者试玩游戏时，看到磁铁上的照片后，开始跟义工讲述她住在甘榜的故事。我希望游戏可以唤起回忆和制造话题，增进患者与他人的沟通。”

黄廷方综合医院和裕廊社区医院与南洋理工大学合作，首次让学生为失智症患者挑战设计游戏。三名学生来自南大艺术、设计与媒体学院，是本科生在校研究计划参与者。

她们在教授和职能治疗师的指导下，花了一年时间完成这个项目。学生也实地走访失智症病人，了解他们平日所接触的游戏。

超过10名失智症患者在上个月试玩了这三款游戏，义工也使用新游戏与患者交流。由于反应不俗，院方目前正与校方探讨生产更多种游戏，让更多患者受益。

指导学生的黄廷方综合医院高级职能治疗师朱昌满（39岁）说，不同失智症患者对游戏的需求大不相同。例如，轻微失智症患者的游戏应该结合感官和活动元素，而大部分严重患者因无法自行行动，游戏就更注重感官元素。

“这些游戏结合各种本地素材如铝制铁盒、本地美食和十二生肖等，让人觉得熟悉舒服……参加这些活动能让他们发挥潜能，加强自信心和减少寂寞感。”

修读数码动画的许珺敏（22岁）把所学知识与七巧板拼图结合，让患者利用不同形状拼图，拼凑成十二生肖。义工可以为拼图拍照，再使用定格动画（stop-motion animation）相关软件，让动物“动起来”。

谢易霖（23岁）设计的木块游戏MatchLink，以六种基本颜色和四种材质为主，能任意调整游戏的难度。例如，患者应该找出相同材质的木块，或说出特定木块位置，训练脑力和记忆。

“我原本想加入温度和嗅觉的元素，但考虑到游戏会变得复杂，便打消这个念头……但这个项目给我很大的启发，让我思考未来创业的可能性，以设计更多款游戏来帮助病人。”

三款游戏昨天在黄廷方综合医院举行的艺术与健康嘉年华（Arts&Health Festival）展出。活动为期两天。

~以上新闻转自联合早报网~

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine officially opens Novena campus

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine officially opens Novena campus

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) officially opened its Novena Campus and became fully operational on Monday (Aug 28).

LKCMedicine is a partnership between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Imperial College London. The dual-campus school - with another building at NTU's main campus at Jurong West - admitted its first batch of students in 2013.

The 20-storey Clinical Sciences Building is located in the heart of Health City Novena, with links to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and a number of specialist centres and community care services.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who officiated the opening on Monday, said Singapore's medical community must continue to serve with "heart" to care for patients in a holistic manner.

"This total health approach requires good social skills and the ability to work in teams with other healthcare professionals, within and across the hospitals, clinics and community, to serve our patients with a 'big heart'. This is especially important as our healthcare structures evolve to suit the needs of an ageing population," said Mr Teo.

The National Healthcare Group (NHG), which manages TTSH, is the medical school's primary clinical partner. This is the first time the group has a medical school as part of their healthcare campus in Novena.

LKCMedcine's governing board chairman Lim Chuan Poh said the three major stakeholders - NTU Singapore, Imperial and NHG - have all fulfilled a "long-held ambition".

"For Imperial, it was the right opportunity to provide its impact globally. For NTU, it was to start a new medical school, while for NHG it was to have an academic presence on campus. LKCMedicine fulfilled all those and more," he stated.

The LKCMedicine student intake has grown from 54 in 2013 to 120 students this year. Its first batch of students will graduate in July next year.

The new campus was scheduled to be completed in the last quarter of last year. However, in February 2016 a stop-work order was issued for the Mandalay construction site after one worker was killed and another injured in an accident at the site.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

南大李光前医学院正式开幕

南大李光前医学院正式开幕

本地三家医学院不只得培训更多医生，也得改变训练模式，医疗机构和医生也须善用科技，并用“心”提供全面的医疗护理，才能确保寿命越来越长的国人在身心健康的情况下迈入晚年。

副总理兼国家安全统筹部长张志贤星期一上午为南洋理工大学李光前医学院主持开幕仪式时说，随着我国人口老龄化，政府数年前在检讨未来所需的医生人数之余，也考虑到医科学生所需的培训，因此决定在新加坡国立大学杨潞龄医学院之余，设立南大李光前医学院，以及杜克—新加坡国立大学医学院。

~联合早报网讯~

Happy national day 国庆日快乐

本报与南大联办 中国早年诗歌 及诗人讲座

本报与南大联办 中国早年诗歌 及诗人讲座

《联合早报》与南洋理工大学将于下个月12日联合举办中国早年诗歌及诗人讲座，探讨诗歌的创造与意义。

这场名为“从表演到文本：中国早年诗歌及诗人”的讲座由《联合早报》、南洋理工大学中华语言文化中心和中文系，以及南洋大学毕业生协会联合主办。

受邀主讲嘉宾为美国普林斯顿大学东亚研究系主任柯马丁（Martin Kern）教授。他也是陈六使中华语言文化教授基金访问教授。

~联合早报~

Selamat hari raya 开斋节快乐

南大与农场设起步公司 牛蛙皮提取胶原蛋白做医疗护肤品

南大与农场设起步公司 牛蛙皮提取胶原蛋白做医疗护肤品



南洋理工大学生物科学院研究员谢伟昇（右）手上拿着一瓶活性胶原蛋白，源自一张张不起眼的牛蛙皮。他与裕廊牛蛙场负责人阮晓曦已成立起步公司，将这种高质量胶原蛋白投入商业应用。（曾道明摄）

这是本地少数由高等学府与农场合作研发的计划之一，若合资项目成功，有助于为从事传统粮食生产的本地农场，开辟一条往价值链上端转型的发展途径。

牛蛙不仅可成为桌上佳肴，蛙皮内的丰富胶原蛋白也具有广泛用途。南洋理工大学研究人员与裕廊牛蛙场合作成立起步公司，利用一般多被丢弃的蛙皮提取胶原蛋白，用于医疗、研究和护肤等领域。

这是本地少数由高等学府与农场合作研发的计划之一，若合资项目成功，有助于为从事传统粮食生产的本地农场，开辟一条往价值链上端转型的发展途径。

本地唯一的牛蛙场裕廊牛蛙场（JFF）第二代接班人阮晓曦（33岁）说，这项研究对农场而言是一大突破。

“我们这种农业生产属于第一产业（primary industry），但新加坡的牛蛙市场已经成熟，甚至出现饱和状况了，要扩大市场相当困难。我们一直在寻找突破局限的发展方向，而牛蛙皮研究的成果让我们有了一个转向更具价值的高端产业的契机。”

养殖约两万只牛蛙的牛蛙场每天宰杀1200只到1500只牛蛙，除了人们熟悉的田鸡肉和可制作雪蛤的输卵管，皮和其他部分并没有太多利用价值。阮晓曦去年开始推出口感类似薯片的炸蛙皮，不过消耗的蛙皮不多，因此大部分还是投入垃圾堆中。

市场供研究胶原蛋白极贵

南大生物科学院副教授李开洋（43岁）和研究员谢伟昇（33岁）约两年前展开的研究，却意外发现牛蛙皮蕴藏的价值。

谢伟昇接受《联合早报》访问时说，研究最初的目的只是为了寻找生物科学研究所需的胶原蛋白。

他指出，多孔结构的活性（bioactive）胶原蛋白是让细胞生长的“支架”，市面上供研究用途的胶原蛋白大多来自牛、猪和老鼠等动物，但价格非常昂贵，一克胶原蛋白市价高达2000元。若要进行大规模和长期的研究，就必须寻找较便宜的胶原蛋白。

“我们想到尝试从本地农场着手，看有没有适合我们使用的材料，于是就找了牛蛙和多种鱼类的皮进行研究。这个做法的另一个好处是粮食既然能安全食用，从动物身上提取的胶原蛋白也会是安全的。”

蛙皮可提取相当多
优质胶原蛋白且成本便宜

他们发现每片蛙皮可提取相当多的高质量胶原蛋白，加上成本相对便宜，具有扩大规模生产的商业价值。

谢伟昇和李开洋去年初向阮晓曦提出合作建议，并于去年8月与一个海鲜供应商，以及一家现阶段不愿透露身份的跨国企业合资，正式成立“Collagreen Tech”公司，运用南大自家研发的科技提取牛蛙皮中的胶原蛋白，研发高价值产品。

谢伟昇和阮晓曦说，牛蛙场目前已开始售卖加入牛蛙胶原蛋白的驱蚊剂，公司也正尝试申请标新局拨款，将研究成果商业化。由于目前仍处于初始阶段，他们不愿透露具体详情，但表示发展计划包括进军医疗和护肤品等领域。

阮晓曦透露，她曾经探讨过从雪蛤提取胶原蛋白生产护肤品，或出口蛙皮制作的皮包，但这些计划并没有成功，因此当南大研究人员告知牛蛙胶原蛋白的商业潜能时，她非常惊讶和兴奋。开拓发展新方向的过程，令她意识到与具备先进科学知识和技术的高等学府合作的重要性。

她说：“这确实是个我们进一步发掘农业潜能的方式。高科技农业不只是指搞垂直农场等种植和养殖技术，还包括使用我们的农产品，研发具有更高价值的产品。”

~联合早报~

南大副校长李盛光教授逝世

南大副校长李盛光教授逝世



南洋理工大学副校长、国立教育学院前院长李盛光教授昨天疑因心脏病发逝世，享寿65岁。（南洋理工大学提供）

多年来为本地教育与环境绿化作出贡献的南洋理工大学副校长、国立教育学院前院长李盛光教授昨天（5月19日）疑因心脏病发逝世，享寿65岁，身后留下妻子与一对子女。

他的遗体停柩在位于“教师园”东坡道的住家，星期二上午发引至万礼火化场火化。

南大在今天下午发布的声明中，形容李盛光是教育的“忠实拥护者”，毕生致力于推进本地教育与科学程度。

声明说，李盛光最初从事园艺工作时，在本地公园与环境绿化上扮演领导角色，成功落实了已故建国总理把新加坡打造成花园城市的愿景。

“而作为一名教育家，李教授是一名广受敬重的学者，在改善新加坡老师教育系统上扮演关键角色。”

李盛光早年获得哥伦坡计划奖学金到纽西兰修读园艺科学，后来也于1985年获得新加坡国立大学植物生物科技博士学位。他后来离开公共服务，1991年加入国立教育学院，并于2006年出任学院院长。

在国立教育学院，他除了改善教师教育与培训，也继续钻研植物与农作科技，成功研发气耕法，在热带环境中种植温带蔬菜，其突破性研究成果也引起了国内外关注。

李盛光2014年卸下国立教育学院院长职务，出任南大副校长，长期为新加坡教育献身的他分别于2004年和2011年赢得公共行政（银）奖章和公共行政（金）奖章。

南大学校董事会主席许文辉说：“我们将永远记得盛光，他是教育界杰出领袖，也是多代师生的朋友。他对教育和学习充满热忱，一生过得非常充实。南大社群失去了一位非常特别的成员，我们会永远怀念盛光。”

~联合早报网~

国大南大遭复杂且持久网络攻击

国大南大遭复杂且持久网络攻击

调查显示，新加坡国立大学和南洋理工大学遭受的网络攻击都属“高端持续网络威胁”，这一般是特定组织展开的持续许久的复杂和多方位网络攻击，想盗取的是与政府或研究相关的资料，学生的个人资料没有被盗取。

本地首次出现针对大学的复杂且持久性网络攻击，黑客相信是有意盗取大学网络内与政府或研究相关的资料。

新加坡网络安全局（CSA）和教育部昨天在联合记者会上透露，新加坡国立大学和南洋理工大学分别于上个月11日和19日发现各自的网络系统遭入侵。

国大当时聘请了外来顾问探究如何提升校内的网络安全系统，结果在评估过程中发现网络被入侵。

南大则是通过定期例常检查发现网络袭击的踪迹。

两所大学发现遭攻击后都通报网安局，该局也协助大学展开调查，以及采取应对措施来减轻攻击所可能带来的影响。遭入侵的电脑都已被移除及更换。

调查显示，两起网络攻击都属“高端持续网络威胁”（Advanced Persistent Threat），这一般是特定组织展开的持续许久的复杂和多方位网络攻击，目标一般是私人企业、政府部门、电网或通讯网络等关键基础设施，以及国家安全系统等。

网安局和教育部也发布联合文告说：“（这些网络攻击）是精心策划的，并不是一般黑客的攻击行为。”

文告指出，黑客想盗取的相信是与政府或研究相关的资料，并没有证据显示与学生相关的资料是盗取目标。

文告也说，两所大学的日常运作都不受影响，学生的个人资料没有被盗取，这包括入学和考试资料。据了解，没有机密性的政府资料在这两起攻击中被盗取。“大学的网络系统与政府的网络系统是分隔的，两起‘高端持续网络威胁’的影响似乎相当有限。”

当局没有透露有什么资料在网络攻击事件中遭盗取，也没有说明黑客的来源。但据知，两起事件并不是相互协调的攻击。

网安局和教育部表示，当局与受影响的大学都不会针对事件提供更多详情，因为这可能影响两所大学额外防御和预防性措施的有效性。

网安局已找到网袭黑手

网安局局长许智贤在记者会后受访时说：“我们知道（网络袭击）是谁发起的，也知道他们想盗取什么，但基于运作上的安全考量，我不能透露更多详情。”

他也指出，黑客的攻击已不再只针对政府网络系统，任何与政府有关联的网络都可能是目标，因此私人机构必须注意网络安全。

网安局旗下的新加坡电脑紧急反应组（SingCERT）已通知其他的公立大学、关键信息基础设施业者和政府部门，让它们对网络系统做更严密的检查。

网安局透露，关键信息基础设施业者和政府部门的网络系统目前都没有可疑活动的迹象。

国大发表声明说，它正在和网络安全顾问合作，进一步加强校内网络系统的监查与防御能力。南大的声明则说，正在与当局合作，加强“各层面”的保安措施，而这些措施长期下去也会进一步强化。

通讯及新闻部长雅国博士昨天下午在面簿上载贴文，呼吁国人保持警惕，并培养良好的网络安全习惯。他说：“随着人们在数码化世界中日益紧密地联系，网络攻击也会越来越复杂，无论是公共或私人领域都同样受威胁。”

今年2月初，国防部储存个人资料的“I-net”电脑系统也遭黑客入侵，约850名服役人员、战备军人和全职员工的基本个人资料被盗取。

～联合早报～

南大砌木成馆 本地建筑典范

南大砌木成馆 本地建筑典范



打破现代建筑钢筋水泥的格局，南洋理工大学校园里出现一座全新的木质体育馆，成为本地建筑领域又一个创意典范。

这座体育馆无论是设计还是建造，都充满巧思。它是东南亚首座采用层压胶合实木（Mass Engineered Timber）建造的大型建筑，弧形的屋顶和木质的结构，不仅让体育馆有独树一帜的外观，也增加自然通风和透光效果。建筑过程中大量使用预制结构，不仅节省施工时间，也减少对建筑人力的依赖。

体育馆场地可转换成羽毛球场、篮球场和排球场等，里面也设有健身房和训练室，为学生提供多样化的运动空间。

~联合早报~

Award-winning NTU prof admits to shoplifting

Award-winning NTU prof admits to shoplifting

An award-winning professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) pleaded guilty to shoplifting yesterday after he was caught pilfering repeatedly from service stations he frequents.

The court heard that Er Meng Joo, 55, who is a professor in electrical and electronic engineering, shoplifted items worth $453.35 between Jan 9 and 29 last year.

Er, an elected member of NTU's advisory board from 2009 to 2012, stole items such as air fresheners and toiletries from two NTUC FairPrice outlets at Esso service stations in Bukit Timah and Dunearn roads. Er pleaded guilty to two counts of shoplifting items worth $225.15, with five other shoplifting charges involving items worth $228.20 taken into consideration during sentencing.

He was caught after Mr Lam Wing Kin, who manages both stores, reviewed closed-circuit television footage between Jan 28 and 29 last year and noticed Er behaving suspiciously while inside the Dunearn Road outlet.

One clip from Jan 27 showed Er taking some items, including a wall charger and two bottles of mouthwash, and leaving without paying.

A Jan 29 clip showed Er stealing items such as a power bank, two air fresheners and a micro USB cable.

Realising Er was a regular customer, Mr Lam tracked down his name and his car registration details. He lodged a police report on Jan 30 last year and Er admitted to the offences when police turned up at his home.

Yesterday, the court called for a report to assess his suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO).

An MTO is for offenders who suffer from psychiatric conditions. They must go for psychiatric treatment in lieu of jail time.

Er will be back in court on May 22.

Er, who has earned many accolades, served as a member of the university's Senate Steering Committee from 2010 to 2012, according to details NTU posted on its website.

He clinched the Most Zealous Professor of the Year Award in 2009 and five years later, the Outstanding Mentor Award.

Er has also won the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award twice, in 2011 and 2015.

He also received the IES Prestigious Publication Award in Theory in 2001.

For each count of shoplifting, he can be jailed for up to three years and fined.

~News courtesy of Straits Times~

NTU, Schaeffler jointly set up lab to develop personal mobility devices

NTU, Schaeffler jointly set up lab to develop personal mobility devices

A skateboard that could navigate its user home safely and double up as a shopping trolley could become a reality with the work of a new joint lab run by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and global automotive and industrial components supplier Schaeffler Group.

Under an agreement signed on Monday (Mar 20), NTU and Schaeffler will research various aspects of personal urban mobility and intelligent transportation systems for mega-cities of the future. The lab has a combined funding of S$5 million over three years.

The partnership will also ride on the NTU-NXP Smart Mobility Test Bed, which consists of vehicles equipped with smart units and roadside units with video cameras mounted on street lamps throughout the NTU campus.

NTU vice-president (Research) and chief of staff Professor Lam Khin Yong said the collaboration will tackle transportation challenges for Singapore as the country moves into its Smart Nation vision.

“We aim to develop innovative personal transport solutions that will be safer and more efficient, which will support Singapore’s drive towards a car-lite society,” said Prof Lam.

Schaeffler's concepts for personal mobility include the E-Board, an electronic skateboard-like device that comes with a control stick, and an e-bike equipped with an automatic bicycle gearshift system. The lab will also look at adapting Schaeffler’s future-oriented four-wheel bio-hybrid - a vehicle powered by electric-assisted pedalling - for use in Singapore.

The new lab is the German company’s first outside Europe and part of the Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research at NTU.

“Our long-term vision is to develop Singapore as a hub for research and innovation for urban mobility,” said Schaeffler Asia-Pacific CEO Andreas Schick.

“The proactive efforts from Singapore’s Government make it a highly conducive place for developing technologies for future mega-cities and Schaeffler is keen to tap into these opportunities, working together with the big and highly educated talent pool," he added.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

南大推出两新学士课程

南大推出两新学士课程

南洋理工大学的艺术、媒体与设计学院重组课程，来临8月的新学年为新生推出设计艺术学士学位以及媒体艺术学士学位这两项课程，提供更全面的教育，以因应创意与数码行业需求。

设计艺术学士学位课程（Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Art）融合现有的互动媒体、产品设计和视觉课程为一体，而媒体艺术学士学位课程（Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Art）则融合数码动画、数码电影制作，以及摄影和数码影像课程。

~联合早报~

南大添新宿舍大一大二生全可住校

南大添新宿舍大一大二生全可住校

南大今年8月起将在南洋弯开设多三栋宿舍，增设多1820个床位供学生寄宿，届时预计有1万4200名学生可寄宿在南大的24栋宿舍内，满足超过90％的现有需求。

来临新学年，南洋理工大学将增设新宿舍，可在校内寄宿的学生数目将因此增至1万4000名，满足超过九成的现有需求。

~联合早报~

南大与德公司合作 探讨代步工具智能化

南大与德公司合作 探讨代步工具智能化



Schaeffler新加坡城市交通研究中心主任梅耶尔（左）和亚太地区执行长希克，昨天在南大校园示范公司研发的控制杆电动滑板车以及装有自动换挡系统的电动脚踏车。公司将与南大合作成立实验室，测试这些代步工具在本地的实用性。（邝启聪摄）

南大校务总监兼副校长（研究）蓝钦扬教授指出，由双方设立的实验室将集中在通行研究、连接性与大数据、个人通行概念，以及系统与配件这四大方面。

公众未来或能使用装有智能行车器的电动踏板车或其他智能代步工具，在安全通行的情况下抵达目的地。

~联合早报~

南大团队研发新摄像机更精准预防无人驾驶车相撞

南大团队经七年多研发 新摄像机更精准预防无人驾驶车相撞



　南大的陈守顺博士与研究团队用了七年多的时间，研发了可让无人驾驶车与无人机等更快也更精准地进行画面分析的摄像机。陈守顺手中的感应晶片可让摄像机在拍摄时只探测并记录镜头中的移动影像，加快分析画面的速度。（邝启聪摄）

南洋理工大学的研究人员研发这个称为“CeleX”新摄像机，能快速辨别画面中的前后层次，可让无人驾驶车更及时地避开迎面而来的障碍物。

经七年多的研究，南洋理工大学的研究人员研发了一款新摄像机，可让无人驾驶车与无人机等更快也更精准地进行画面分析，进而作出更加快速的反应。南大已成立一家独立公司，准备将该款摄像机推出市场。

称为“CeleX”的新摄像机是通过目前在等候专利权批准的感应晶片，使摄像机在拍摄时只探测并记录镜头中的移动影像。

负责这项研发项目的南大卫星研究中心助理教授陈守顺博士（40岁）昨天向媒体介绍新摄像机功能时指出，一般的光学摄像机在拍摄时会不断地定时摄取镜头中的所有影像，再将其信息送往内部处理器进行分析，才能形成摄像机所“看到”的全副画面。

“如果画面没有变动也一律定时摄取影像，那将累计庞大的信息数据量。摄像机中的处理器也需要更长的时间来分析出画面，运作效率会因此降低。”

他说，新摄像机就像青蛙的眼睛，只会“观察到”画面中的动态，处理器只处理这些捕捉到的移动影像，画面的分析时间因此缩短。

他指出，新摄像机分析画面的速度比一般的光学摄像机快上约三倍。

“此外，由于新摄像机是通过探测移动影像分析画面，因此无论在强烈的灯光下或较暗的环境中也能辨识出镜头中的画面。”

陈守顺也说，因为处理器得处理的信息数据量大大减少，因此CeleX能快速辨别画面中的前后层次，可让无人驾驶车更及时地避开迎面而来的障碍物。

另外，由于该款摄像机不是以一般定时摄取影像的形式操作，因此不会在间隔中错失任何影像，可让无人驾驶车与无人机更好地预防突发的相撞事故。

陈守顺也指出，除了适用于无人驾驶车与无人机，该款摄像机也可用在须探测环境的机器人，以及帮助驾车者降低意外风险的驾驶辅助系统等。

与多家公司洽谈推出市场

他透露，由10多人组成的研究团队已在2015年7月通过南大的“NTUitive”创业计划创办了Hillhouse Technology私人有限公司，该公司正准备将摄像机在市场上推出。

“我们正在和多家公司洽谈，其中包括汽车制造商和研发无人驾驶车的公司。”

陈守顺估计，新摄像机中关键的感应晶片生产成本为约10美元（约14新元），组装整个摄像机需约120美元（约170新元）。他说，若将来进行大批生产，成本还可能降低。

CeleX摄像机的研究项目自2009年展开，并获得教育部和新加坡－麻省理工学院科研中心（SMART）的50万元资助。

~联合早报~

南大即将测试大型无人驾驶车

南大即将测试大型无人驾驶车

再过不久，南洋理工大学校园内将会测试新的无人驾驶电动车，为明年测试本地首个无人驾驶巴士服务做进一步准备。

新款电动车由法国公司 Navya 制造，可乘坐11人，外加四人站立。这是南大至今测试最大型的无人驾驶车。电动车去年12月运抵我国，经南大研究员调整系统设置后，目前正在进行内部测试。

~联合早报~

NTU, US non-profit organisation ink deal to develop tech on improving court processes

NTU, US non-profit organisation ink deal to develop tech on improving court processes

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and US non-profit organisation The Mitre Corporation on Friday (Feb 10) announced that they signed two research agreements, which could lead to smart technologies to enhance workplace safety and courtroom procedures.

The joint research partnership aims to develop innovative technologies to support Singapore’s Smart Nation ambitions and improve safety in workplaces, as well as in judicial engineering, which aims to improve productivity and processes for the country's courts, the joint press release said.

The agreements were signed at MITRE's campus in Virginia, US, by NTU provost Freddy Boey and MITRE's senior vice president Lillian Zarelli Ryals, it added.

On judicial engineering, the press release said NTU researchers will work with Singapore's courts to study how technology can help to improve operations and productivity. Areas to be explored include artificial intelligence and machine learning, court analytics and decision support systems as well as cybersecurity.

As for workplace safety, technologies such as sensors, analytics and decision support tools can be used with the aim of improving safety by providing critical safety information, the press release said.

For example, smart sensors could gather data on the number of employees in an office building and large installations like the airport and seaport, so as to generate the ideal work environment in terms of oxygen levels, brightness of lighting and ambient temperature based on demand in an area, it said.

“This new partnership brings together MITRE’s strengths in smart technologies and judiciary engineering with NTU’s expertise in systems engineering as well as our track record in sustainable and intelligent technologies,” said Professor Boey.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Happy New Year 2017 新年快乐